Let's see, where was I?

Let's see, where was I?  Ah. Yes.  Doom and gloom, end of the world.
Well, we're still there, but now that spring is here in full force it's not quite such a hard thing to bear.  Yes, everything may end tomorrow, or even later on today.  But isn't that blossoming cherry tree really pretty? 
And, standing here at the edge of the world, I've become a little accustomed to the view. 

In other news, this week's Master Gardener class was the last of my training, and I am now (drum roll please) an official Master Gardener Intern.  The training wasn't particularly hard, but it was VERY intensive.  We were really lucky to have some eminently qualified specialists make the journey to our little town to teach us about soil science, entomology, grafting, and other fascinating aspects of gardening.  We had field trips, too, including an organic produce farm and the most amazing home garden.  I'll tell you more about the latter later on in another post.

Let's see, turkey season is underway.  Yesterday, we finally saw a turkey for the first time this year, but she was a little female and therefore not at risk from us.  Really, though, is any turkey at risk from us? I'm beginning to think not.

I did manage to call in the most gorgeous coyote one evening last week.  He was the reddish-brown of fallen Ponderosa pine needles, and his tail was erect.  He was very well filled out, and had an almost cocky attitude.  This was a far cry from the mangy, slinking, tail between the legs, half-starved coyotes we tend to see in the fields around here.  My forest coyote took my breath away, and he keeps appearing in my dreams.  Maybe he stole a piece of my heart, too? 

I'll try to get some pictures up of our fruit trees tomorrow.  They're all in bloom.  The tulips finally popped open, as well.  Yep, spring is here.  We made it through another winter.

Summer solstice (by Kat)

Gloriously busy around here! Zing-zang happy-skipping around here.

Here's evidence of a blooming elderberry.
Chirp chirp was in misery because the little blooms were stuck fiercely in her hair.
She smelled (to me) like heaven in springtime and (to her) like a scary old lady.


Summer solstice swung by, by summer herself is strangely absent. In fact, we had snow to the north of town last Wednesday. The poor local farmers are scratching their heads and pulling their beards in frustration. We've gone from a drought year (declared late March) to a nearly 100% water year (as of a few weeks ago).

This has been great for the garden, though!

Peas:


Onions:


More onions, four rows of beets, recalcitrant broccoli:


An alium transplanted from Mr. Boom's grandmother's home before it was torn down to make room for a housing development:


This volunteer broccoli plant, growing up through the bricks of our garden path, is so much further along than the broccoli I actually planted. Make of that what you will....



(I really do!)


And finally, Chirp Chirp made her first loaf of bread. See the difference in surfaces of the two loaves of french bread? One was stretched tight as it was rolled into shape, the other wasn't. Proof that a simple little technique can really make a huge difference in your final product.

And finally, a sneak peak...


Any guesses?

It's the reason I've been so busy this past week...

Happy Friday (by Kat)

Happy Friday everyone!
Need a reason to smile?
How about bread raising in the sun?

Chicks under a blooming lilac bush...

A garden begging someone to come out in the sun and weed the rows?
Don't worry garlic, peas, and potatoes, I'll be out again soon!


A beauty berry start, now four years old, and still alive...


What? You can't pick it out from amongst the hops?
Let me zoom in for you...

Bet's mom provided this little start so long ago;
I just know that one of these years it will finally grow
more than a few inches high.

Or not...

Either way, it makes me smile.

I'm not dead (by Kat)

No, really, I'm still alive....

Bet posted! Did you see that? If any of you were thinking she was just my invisible friend, I'm sorry to disappoint. She's real, she's wonderful, and in my eyes (and her kids' and her husband's and her student's etc.) she really is a superhero, in spite of her protestations and other bemoanings.

So, we finally fixed the leak in the roof. That was fun. Every vacation should find you safe and sound back at home in a puddle of water in the kitchen. Yep.

Planted our spring seeds...and the chickens promptly flew the coop and ate them all up. That was fun. Yep.

Been fighting dizzy spells and fevers for the past two weeks. Fun. Yep.

You see why I haven't been posting? I'm a whiner. I'm in a big fat whiny mood.

OH! Best mood enhancer of late? The Good Life! You can watch it instantly on Netflix. A solid middle-class couple decide to give up on traditional commerce and values. They decide to become self-sustaining on their little lot in the suburbs of London. It's a British series, shot in the early 1970's. I can't tell you how much I love British TV. The actors look like real people. Paris Hilton couldn't make it in British film--hooray!

Other mood enhancers? Bet's mom has crocus blooming in her yard. Mine aren't up yet, but the hops are poking through the soil, as well as some bulbs. I planted a ton of free day lilies last fall (Freecycle rocks my world!) and those are coming up. I'm glad to see they survived this winter.

Of course, it did snow a bit this morning, so they're not out of the woods yet.

I'm taking Friday off from work, so I'll try to post something nice a wonderful and heartwarming then. In the meantime, chins up! Solider on! Hup two! Land ho! Steady as she goes!

G'night!

Come to perch (by Kat)

This fella came to perch in our yard.

He's been eyeballing the chickens.

He's probably a sharp-shinned hawk,
but he could be a Cooper's hawk.

I told him that he better stick to munching on the sparrows!